A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse, a scion thrusts from his roots: on him the spirit of the Lord rests, a spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of counsel and power, a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is his delight.

Short Responsory

The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.

– The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.

His glory will appear in your midst.

– The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

– The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.

Canticle

Benedictus

The Messiah and his forerunner

The Lord will raise a signal for the nations and he will gather together the scattered children of Israel.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption.

He has raised up the sign of salvation

in the house of his servant David,

as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones,

his prophets through the ages:

to rescue us from our enemies

and all who hate us,

to take pity on our fathers,

to remember his holy covenant

and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,

that he would give himself to us,

that we could serve him without fear

– freed from the hands of our enemies –

in uprightness and holiness before him,

for all of our days.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High:

for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,

to let his people know their salvation,

so that their sins may be forgiven.

Through the bottomless mercy of our God,

one born on high will visit us

to give light to those who walk in darkness,

who live in the shadow of death;

to lead our feet in the path of peace.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

The Lord will raise a signal for the nations and he will gather together the scattered children of Israel.

Prayers and intercessions

Let us pray to Christ, whom the scriptures foretold, and whose coming we await in this holy season:

– Come, Jesus, our Saviour!

Isaiah foretold that the spirit of the Lord would rest upon you:

come to us bringing wisdom and understanding.

– Come, Jesus, our Saviour!

The spirit of counsel and power is given to you;

move the hearts of all who govern or rule.

– Come, Jesus, our Saviour!

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

teach us to know the Father as he is.

– Come, Jesus, our Saviour!

As now we live with you in faith and hope,

prepare us to see the Father face to face.

– Come, Jesus, our Saviour!

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Almighty God,

let the splendour of your glory dawn in our hearts.

May the coming of your only Son dispel all darkness

and reveal that we are children of light.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

AMEN

The psalms and canticles here are our own translation. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons. The Universalis apps, programs and downloads do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.